Wheeled scraper



Feb. 20, 1934. H. RICKS WHEELED SCRAPER Filed Oct. 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 20, 1934. g s 1,947,661

WHEELED SCRAPER Filed Oct. 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEELED SCRAPER Application October 6, 1931. Serial No. 567,182

7 Claims.

My invention relates to wheeled scrapers of the type operated by tractor or othermotorpowerand it has among itssalient objects to provide means for automatically forcing the digging edge of the scraper upwardly in case it strikes some obstruction which results in increasing the pull; to provide improved means for holding the scraper in digging, carrying, spreading or dumping positions, all under the control of the operator on the tractor; to provide an improved and novel arrangement for carrying wheels for a scraper, whereby they are covered with hoods forming a part of the scraper .bowl, said wheels being placed Within the outermost ends of the scraper bowl; to provide in combination with such wheels, means for causing the tuming of the scraper bowl upwardly by the-backing movement of the structure; and, in general, to provide an improved, practical and moreeflicient wheeled scraper for power operation.

In order to explain my invention, I have illustrated one embodiment thereof on the accompanying sheets of drawings which I will now describe:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a wheeled scraper "I6 embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is an end view thereof, showing the scraper bowl in a carrying position;

'Figure 3 is an end elevation thereof showing the bowl in a wheeling or moving position; and

80 Fig. 4 is a similar view with the bowl in the digging position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the scraper bowl, designated 5, can be of any desired size, and it is provided at its opposite ends with two hood structures 6, 6, forming a part of the bowl and open on their under sides, and within these hood carrying wheels 7, 7, are mounted upon bearings supported in the ends of the scraper bowl, as at 8, 8, and in the inner sides of the hoods 6, 6, as at 9. The forward, opposite ends of the scraper bowl are provided in front with the usual runner shoes 10, 10, and at the center back said scraper is provided with curved angle bars 11, 11, secured around the back of the scraper bowl, and spaced apart to have arranged therebetween stop members, as 12, 13 and 14, at different positions around the rearward circumference'of the bowl, for a purpose hereinafter referred to. Dirt deflecting members 6', 6', are placed in front of said wheel hoods 6, 6.

The draft frame is composed of two side members 15, 15, secured at their ends to the outsides of the bowl ends, as at 16, 16, with suitable reinforcing means on said bowl ends, said side draft '55 members 15, 15, being connected by means .of a

cross member 17, and corner plates 18, 18, and with forwardly converging members 19, 19, with a connecting plate 20 therefor. In the middle of the cross bar, or member 17 is another plate or member 17'. Two strap members, as 19', 19, are connected to the outer sides of the converging members 19, 19, as indicated, and these strap members are connected forwardly with two spaced vertical lever members, 21, 21, pivoted at 22 through the ends of said strap members 19'. To the lower ends of said vertical lever members 21, 21, is attached a draft clevis 23, or other hitching member. The upper ends of said lever members 21 have pivotally connected thereto a bar 24, having its rearward end provided with an enlarged roundedportion 24', with a straight, inclined side at24 as more clearly seen in Fig. 4. This rounded end is provided with a through pivot pin 25, the ends of which work in slots 26' in two spaced side extensions of a long box-like member 26, pivotally connected at its lower end,.as at 27, to the upper ends of two spaced vertical members 28, secured upon the plate 20, and braced by two brace members 29, 329, secured at their lower ends to the plate 17, and at their upper ends to said vertical members 28, as clearly shown. .A roller is positioned at 30, between said brace members, for a purpose hereinafter referred to. In the box member 26 is a coiled expansion spring 31, with an adjustmentscrew 32 at its upper end to regulate its tension, and at its lower end, said spring bears upon a bearing member 33, which rides upon the rounded edge24' of the end of the member 24, and provides friction for holding the pivoted-member 26 yieldingly in either of two positions, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4. Anarm 34 is secured to said member 26 and to this is attached a pull cord or cable 35. The operation of this will be described later.

Pivotally connected at its forward end in the vertical members 21, is a long bar or member 36, extending rearwardly between the members 28, and under the member 26, and above the roller 30. At its rear end it is formed of two spaced members, as at 36'. Pivoted between said members 36' are two dogs or pawls, 3'7 and 38, positioned below said bar 36 to engage and cooperate with said stop members 12, 13 and 14. These are operated by means of levers 39 and 40. Lever 40 is pivoted at its lower end at 41, between said members 36', and at its upper end, at 42, to the lever 39, while the lever 39, at its lower end is pivotally connected to the dog or pawl 38, as at 43, and is connected by a short chain 44 to the dog or pawl 3'7, and by means of a spring 45, saidlever 39 is connected to the end of said bar or member 36, which spring normally holds said levers 39 and 40 pulled back to their full line positions. A pull cable 46 is attached to the end of the lever 39 and extended to the operator on the tractor or other power means.

Referring to the wheels 7, Figs. 2 and 3, there is pivotally supported on the inside of the wheel hood 6 a weighted pawl 47, between a strap 48, secured to the side of said wheel hood, the upper end of said pawl being heavy and the lower end being adapted to engage and interlock with a ratchet wheel 49. When the scraper bowl is in the positions shown in Figs. 2 or 4, the weighted upper end of the pawl 4'? falls forwardly and its smaller lower end moves into position to engage with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 49, as will be seen in said Fig. 2. When the bowl is tilted back, as in Fig. 3, the weighted upper end of the pawl falls backwardly and its smaller free end moves out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 49. This mechanism is used to turn the bowl by means of the wheels in a manner hereinafter described.

The use and operation of the invention may be briefly described as follows:

Assuming that a tractor is hitched to the clevis 23 of the draft frame, the driver pulls cable to raise the pivoted box lever 26 to the position shown in Fig. 4, which thrusts the vertical lever 21 forwardly as shown and this moves the long bowl engaging member 36 forwardly, and rocks the scraper bowl forwardly and downwardly into digging or scraping position, as shown.

Should the scraper strike a rock or other obstruction which would result in excessive pull on the draft frame, the upper end of the vertical lever 21 would be forced rearwardly, resisted by the spring-pressed box lever 26, which is sufficient to resist any ordinary digging action of the bowl.

Excessive strain, however, will force the parts rearwardly to the positions shown in Fig. 2, raising the front edge of the bowl to move over the obstruction.

Assuming that the scraper bowl is loaded and it is desired to move forwardly and carry the load to another location, this can be done with the bowl in the position shown in Fig. 2, which would drag all dirt which is in front of it, or the bowl can be tilted to the position shown in Fig. 3, if the distance is greater. In order to put the bowl in the position shown in Fig. 3, the operator pulls the cord or cable 46, which raises the pawls or dogs 37 and 38 away from the stops, l2 and 13, and by backing the tractor and the scraper, the bowl is raised to the position shown. in Fig. 3. This is accomplished through the pawls 47 in engagement with the ratchet wheels 49 on the wheels 7, 7, inside the hood, as before described. When the bowl is raised to the desired position, the cable 46 is released and the pawl or dog 38 catches on the stop at 13, as seen in said view.

In case it is desired to dump the load over an embankment and it is necessary to back the scraper bowl up to the edge of the embankment, the operator pulls the cable 46, which lifts the pawls or dogs 3'? and 38, and the weight of the load causes the front of the bowl to drop down to the position shown in Fig, 4, and the weighted pawl 47 falls forwardly so as to catch in the wheel 49. This is a momentary action. The operator then backs up and these weighted pawls interlock with the wheels 49, and this turns the scraper bowl upwardly and rearwardly with the and dumps the load rearwardly and down the embankment.

In case the lead is to be dumped during a forward movement of the scraper, the operator pulls the cable 46 to lift the catch pawls 3'7 and 38, which lets the front edge of the scraper bite into the ground, and continued movement turns it over forwardly, the carrying wheels 7, '7, turning over with the bowl, and if it is desired to use the scraper to spread the load, the pawls are released to catch in the stop member 14, on the bowl, whereby it can be held up in such a way that the floor of the scraper is in a vertical position with its edge scraping the load to a level condition as the bowl is thus pulled along and the dirt is being discharged thereunder.

.By providing the several stop elements 12, 13 and 14 around the bowl, with the holding pawls or dogs 3'? and 38, and their means of manipulation from the operators seat, it will be seen that it is possible to control the several positions of the bowl and to move and hold the bowl in any of the desired positions, and while I have provided an improved wheeled scraper which has many different uses, all controlled and manipulated from the operators seat on the tractor or other power plant, and have shown one practical embodiment thereof, I am aware that many changes in details of construction and arrangement can be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not, therefore, limit the invention to the showing made for explanatory purposes, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wheeled scraper having a scraper bowl adapted to be rocked on its axis and having stop means at places around its rearward side, a draft frame including a pivoted lever with one end provided with hitching means, a long member connected with the other end of said pivoted lever and overlying said scraper bowl and having iio means thereon to engage said stop means on said bowl for holding and moving said bowl on its axis, spring tension means connected with the upper end of said lever. and operable to yieldingly resist rearward movement of said upper end of said vertical lever, whereby to cause a slight rocking movement of the bowl through said long member, and means for regulating the tension of said spring tension means.

2. A wheeled scraper having a scraper bowl adapted to be rocked on its axis and having stop means around its rearward side, a draft frame including a vertical lever pivotally supported thereon intermediate its ends with hitching means on its lower end, a long member pivotally connected at its forward end to the upper end of said vertical lever and having its rearward end provided with stop engaging means to engage the stop means on said scraper bowl for holding said bowl in different positions, spring means connected with the upper end ofsaid vertical lever for releasably holding it against pull on the hitching means at the lower end thereof, said spring means yielding under predetermined strain on said hitching means whereby to transfer said strain to said long member and rock said scraper bowl to lift its forward edge.

3. A wheeled scraper including a scraper bowl and carrier wheels therefor, a draft frame attached to the Opposite ends of said bowl, a vertical draft lever attached intermediate its ends to said draft frame, hitching means on said lever,

carrier wheels '7, .7, until it turns over backwards a long member connected at its forward end to said pivoted draft lever and at its rearward end overlying said scraper bowl and provided with means for interlocking: with said bowl for holding it in different positions, a bar pivotally connected with the upper end of said pivoted draft lever, a fixed upright standard on said draft frame, a pivoted lever at the upper end of said fixed upright standard, and yielding pivotal connection between said bar and said pivoted lever on said standard, and meansfor manually moving said pivoted lever to move said bar andsald long member forwardly, to tilt said scraper bowl.

4. In combination with a scraper bowl and its carrier wheels, of means for tilting said bowl consisting of a draft frame, a. vertical draft lever pivotally connected intermediate its ends with said draft frame, a long member connected at its forward end to said vertical draft lever and at its rearward end overlying said bowl and provided with means for interlocking with said bowl for moving and holding it in difierent positions, a bar pivotally connected to the upper end of said vertical draft lever, a fixed standard on said draftv to the opposite ends of said bowl eccentrically to the wheel axes, and means for interlocking the bowl to said wheels within said hoods for turning said bowl rearwardly.

6. Ina wheeled scraper, a scraper bowl having hoods formed in its bottom and opening downwardly, carrier wheels within said hoods for carrying said scraper bowl, means within said hoods for interlocking said bowl with said carrier wheels for turning said bowl rearwardly to raise the forward edge thereof.

7. In a scraper, a scraper bowl, carrier wheels on which said scraper bowl is carried to be rocked to raise and lower its front scraper edge, draft means attached to said scraper bowl, a vertical lever pivotally connected intermediate its ends to said draft means with hitching means at its lower end, along operating member connectedto the upper end of said vertical lever and extended rearwardly and overlying said scraper bowl, stop members around the rear side of said bowl, means on-s aid long operating member to engage with said stop members, whereby pull on said hitching meansexerts pull on said scraper bowl and rearward push on said stop members through said long operating member, and spring tension means connected for yieldingly resisting rearward move- 'ment of saidvertical lever, whereby said bowl is moved forwardly with a yielding rocking movement.

HYRUM RICKS. 

